Syndicates
by Jumpshotofdeath
Summary: Kanto. A land of vast riches and power. The government is in control over the People and Pokemon, but various criminal organizations vie for funding privileges. The Rocket Syndicate is the most powerful. A trainer looks back on his life fighting them.
1. Chapter 1

This memoir is dedicated to three people. First to Mom. Mom you always taught me to be the best I possibly could be. Your taught me the thirst for knowledge, and how to survive on my own. You saved my life countless times over. Without you, I would have died a long time ago. Though I'm glad you didn't live to see what happened. Secondly, to my older brother Arek, 305th Kanto League Champion. Arek, you taught me how to be tough. You taught me how to be a Gyard. Most importantly, you taught me to fight for what I believe in. I always wanted to be like you growing up. I'm sorry things ended up the way they did, I wish I could go back and fix it. But I'm no Celebi right? Finally, this book is dedicated to my best friend, my partner, my Arcanine Pele.

Foreword: You know I gotta say, when I was first asked to write a memoir about my life, I was a little bit wary. I have done a lot of things throughout my time traveling the world. Some things, I'm very proud of. Others, not so much. But, people need the real story. The whole story. I've been made to be some sort of villain by a lot of people. Maybe I am, but I had my reasons for doing what I did. The one thing that people need to take from this is, I am just like any other Pokemon Trainer. I have friends. Enemies. I bond with my Pokemon. We've done incredible things together. I guess, really any Pokemon trainer has. My story is really nothing that different from the average trainer's story. I just had special circumstances. My hope is, that after reading this, people will realize that I just did what I did. It felt right. I'm fine with that. Maybe if enough people put themselves in my shoes, they'll realize that they would have done the same thing. Maybe not. But, fuck it. I'm not here to be judged. Can't please the entire world can you?

I guess the best place to start is, well the start right? For me, the beginning was when I first met Pele. I had just turned fifteen, and my older brother Arek had been visiting. I was always so excited for his visits. With him he brought exciting tales of danger and success. He had been a trainer for five years, and he had seen it all. Every time he visited I would pick his brain for hours, just trying to get a story in. Ever since the Trainer Minimum Age Act was passed by the Indigo Pokemon League five years ago, children under the age of eighteen were not allowed to become trainers. I was cut off from that world. Arek had been fifteen when he left, me only ten. He was part of the last group of underage trainers to be given a Trainer Card and sent on their way. He was lucky. Here I was at the same age as he was when he left, with three years until I could legally be a trainer. It pissed me off. I had always wanted to be a trainer, even before the day when Arek left to start his journey with only his Torchic by his side. For the first year or so, we barely heard from him. Mom and Dad got into countless arguments over him. Mom wanted to go look for him, Dad believed with a passion that Arek was fine, this was just how Pokemon trainers worked. Dad won the argument at first, and then he got sick. Mom knew she couldn't look for Arek then. Dad died about a year later. Mom still didn't think Arek was ready for the life as a trainer, but with Dad gone, there was nothing she could do about it. So she started teaching me everything there was to know about life as a Pokemon trainer. She used to tell me, "Tavion, you be smarter than your brother. Don't be a dumbass like him! Always be prepared. For anything. Always." that was her first lesson. From my eleventh birthday on, my mom was a constant burden in my life. Every which way I turned, she would be there, teaching me about Pokemon. I thought it was pointless to know that a wild Raticate could bite clean through my femur, or that a one-year old Vulpix could produce enough heat to melt the skin off of my hand. Eleven year old kids always think they know best. Despite my complaining, she continued to teach me. It became second nature for me to look at a Pokemon and have an encyclopedia entry run through my head. This was why I loved it so much when Arek came home. He provided me with an forum in which to put my knowledge to use. He had plenty of stories of all sorts. Horror stories, stories of victory, defeat and everything in between. He told me stories of rampaging Gyarados, graceful Rapidash and utterly terrifying Haunter. He had seen everything it seemed. From my mother's teachings, I knew that a wild Gyarados could destroy an entire city in ten minutes, and was extremely difficult to kill or capture. How he survived the rampage, he didn't tell me. Rapidash, on the other hand, was a breathtaking sight. They could reach speeds of up to 150 Miles per hour in under ten seconds. I also knew that once they reached full speed, they were almost impossible to stop. Haunter, we knew almost nothing about, and that scared me more than anything. He wasn't fazed at all by the ghost. Arek could handle anything it seemed. That first time he came home, on my 12th birthday,he brought me something amazing, a fire stone. He told me it would be useful one day, but left it at that. I never knew much about it until later, but I hid it as treasure, and cherished it above all my other possessions. Mom calmed down and didn't complain about him as much after that. She was too proud of him.

His visits always brought something interesting. I can still remember him walking through the door on my fifteenth birthday. I was in the kitchen, and in he strode, without a warning with his Pidgeotto perched on his shoulder. My eyes instantly went to her. She was incredible. Although only about four and half feet long, the brown bird had an elegant head crest of thick red feathers. Her feet were fearsome, with long knife like talon's that I knew could pierce the thick hide of a Ivysaur. She looked right into my eye, and stared me down, expanding to her full wingspan. She shrieked at me. I slammed my hands, in attempt to hide from the piercing sound. Arek laughed. He cocked his head to the side to look at his bird, and to avoid a wing to the face.

"Easy girl! Its just little bro! You remember him don't you?" She gave a small squawk, and calmed down instantly. "Don't worry Tav. She's just a little protective of me. We've met some not so friendly strangers recently. Go ahead, give her a pet!"

I inched closer to Arek, and slowly stuck my hand out. The bird made no move,so I extended my hand to her back. I slowly ran my hand down through her feathers. There were surprisingly soft, yet obviously extremely strong. She gave a small coo, in what I guessed was appreciation, and rubbed her head against my hand. I was amazed! I stroked her feathers with a sense of longing. I wanted what Arek had. He had found this Pokemon and trained her. This beautiful creature, perched on its trainer's shoulder, was dangerous. Her talons were deadly, and she was blazing fast when flying through the air. She was a wild creature. I had seen Pidgeotto attack smaller birds before. It wasn't pretty. They were quickly torn to bloody shreds by the bird's talons. This deadly creature was letting me pet it. It made me yearn to have my own Pokemon. I could do anything with Pokemon. Any limitation that I had as a person could be overcome. A laugh broke my concentration, as Arek spoke again.

"You alright there Tav? You've got this strange look in your eye, kinda like you need to take a dump." That was Arek. He would talk to me, teach me, but he never seemed to take it seriously. "Well, Grace is tired. And if you don't stop rubbing her, you'll have to take her upstairs and finish the job." Again with the jokes. He pulled out Grace's Pokeball, and she disappeared in a flash of red light. I was sad to see her go. Arek seemed to notice.

"Don't worry kid, I got something for you. You're gonna love this! Just let me go upstairs and say hi to Mom. I think she'll strangle me if I'm in this house for another minute without saying 'Hello.' I also need to shower, I smell like I've been in the wilderness for six weeks. Oh wait, I have!" He grinned.

I rolled my eyes at his stupid joke, but he WAS right, as usual. Mom was a fiery lady, who was pretty fearsome. We never wanted to piss her off, lest she sends her insane little Chimchar after us. That was another thing Mom taught me, no matter the size of a Pokemon, it can be FIERCE. I still shudder thinking back on it. He smiled, gave me a clasp on the shoulder and went upstairs. I noticed how, well, shitty he looked. His boots were covered in grime. His shirt was wet with a mix of what looked like sweat, dirt and patches of blood. Scars of every size covered his body. Some seemed much fresher than others. His jacket was torn in many places, in almost perfect slashes. His jeans had obviously been burned by something. Then the smell hit me. It smelt like Mom's Miltank did after its legs were broken and it had to sit in its own shit for three weeks while it healed. It was… well, disgusting is the only word I can think of. I ran out of the door of the kitchen and into the backyard, coughing as if I was poisoned. Fresh air was amazing!

I laughed at the thought of my brother. His life seemed amazing. Adventure. I yearned for it. I was so tired of the everyday life here in Pewter City. I had school, then I had more school at home from Mom. I was tired of it. So many goddamn rules. Wake up. School. One of Mom's insane workouts. Shower. Hours of schooling from Mom. Then sleep. It was god damned monotonous. I dreamed of getting out. I never knew how beneficial it all would be until a couple of years later.

I had three years of these hellish days until I was legally able to obtain my trainers license. Arek was lucky. He had Grace. He had Blaze, his Blaziken. He even told me once that he had captured a Scyther! Who knows what other Pokemon he had seen, or owned. Maybe he had gotten me my own Pokemon! But, that was a dumb thought. At age fifteen, there were very few Pokemon I could legally own. I could have one, provided it was a pet thats species had been certified by the Pokemon league as domesticated. It also had to be under a certain age. Mom had said I would get a Pokemon when I became an trainer, so she wouldn't give me one. Mom never believed in spoiling me. She said it would make me soft, and get me killed someday. She had insisted on me training my mind and my body before I could train a Pokemon. Arek may have found something that I could have, but why would he give it to me, when he could just train it?

I slowly sat down at the table we had outside. Maybe he had found some exotic item from Cinnibar Island, or a useful tool from the Celadon Department Store! He may have even been to Johto, or even Hoenn! I had always wanted to visit Hoenn. Who knows what the hell could have been there. The possibilities swam in my head. Arek was one to give useful gifts. The Fire Stone. When I had turned fourteen, he gave me a Pokedex. That was a cool gift, even though I had known most of the information in it already. He had said it would update monthly, and its information was as good as gold. What was taking him so long? My brother, always late it seemed. To everything. I sat there, looking off at Mt. Moon in the distance, day dreaming. Who knows how long I sat there. I heard the door open behind me and I turned around. There was Arek. He was clean!

"Wow." I said "Who knew my brother was hidden somewhere under all that shit." I always tried to banter with him, but never could as well. He was always better.

"I clean up well kid. Plus, I got a date tonight." He stated matter-of-factly. My jaw dropped. It still amazes me how he he always did this.

"You've only been in town half an hour! How?" It made me mad how much success he had with girls. I was still learning, a mere Dratini compared to his Dragonite of game.

He laughed, and gave me a pat on the back "Skill. Pure and simple." I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't worry Tav, you're a Gyard! You'll get yours one day. Dad had em, I have em, as long as your not permanently damaged from me dropping you as a kid, you'll get em on day!" He laughed again. Damn it! His laugh was infectious. I smiled.

"So… what brings you back here to Pewter Arek?" I had to make it seem like I wasn't dying to get his present.

"I mean, besides the fine women running around here?" he said with a smile, "Hah, its your birthday bro! You're fifteen! In three years you'll be a full fledged trainer! Its a big day. You know, I left home when I was your age." I cringed. He always had to bring this up. He knew I was fully aware of the fact. "Hey, but don't worry! I got something here for ya that'll keep you from freaking out over the next couple years while you wait. I found her over in the outskirts of Lavender Town. She was alone, which was weird considering how young she is"

She? I was confused. What was he talking about? Arek turned around and opened the door. Blaze, his Blaziken walked through the door, carefully avoiding hitting its head on the door frame. Blaze was a fearsome sight. First of all, he was huge. He towered over both Arek and I. Arek wasn't a small guy either, being around six foot two, but Blaze had a good foot on him. He resembled a large bird, but bipedal. His legs were long and thick, brimming with muscle from years of training. Crimson feathers ran from his neck to his shins. They shined, and almost seemed to burn. From his shins to his feet, were more feathers, but they were bright yellow. His body color looked like a flame burning, bright at the bottom, with dark colors at the top. His face was that of a falcon, piercing yellow eyes above a sharp, deadly looking beak. His crest shot over his face like a large V. On the back of his head, he seemed to have hair. This made him look like a half man, half bird. The beige feathers flowed off of his head. He looked at me with a hawkish smile. He walked over and extended his fearsome arm towards me. His muscles were impressive. He looked like he could punch through a tank without much effort. He gave me a fist, it had to have been the biggest hand I'd ever seen. I smiled at him and mashed my fist into his, giving him the pound that Arek had taught him as a young Torchic. His fist felt hot to the touch. He made a small sound, that sounded like a mix between a shriek and a laugh.

Arek laughed too, "Aww Blazey did you miss little Tav?" Blaze turned his head and gave Arek a cold stare. Arek laughed again. " Blaze misses the days when he could hug. I think he'd burn you alive and crush you to death if he tried it now." When Blaze was a Torchic, and even for a bit while he was a Combusken, he was a hugger. It used to be awesome, because he was so warm. Now, the thought of this giant heavily muscled birdman hugging me was funny, and a little scary. "Go on Blaze, give him his present!" Arek moved his hands towards me, gesturing his impatience. Blaze nodded, and reached into his feathers. I hadn't noticed, but he was carrying a small sling. He removed the sling from his shoulders, and pulled a small bundle from it. I heard a small bark. Blaze walked up to me and placed the bundle in my hands. It was very, very warm, which puzzled me. I heard another small bark. I gasped. I opened the blanket in my arms and came face to face with a Growlithe. It poked its head out of the blanket and looked at me. It was so small! Its orange face had a little cream colored fuzz on its muzzle. A small tuft of cream colored hair was growing out of the top of his head. This puppy was born pretty recently. It gave a little squeal and reached up to lick my hands. At that moment, I was hooked. Arek gave a small laugh. Blaze looked on with his arms crossed and an exasperated look on his face. He was happy to be rid of the small dog. He obviously lacked maternal instincts.

"Its a Growlithe, but you already knew that. Like I said, she was all alone, so something must have happened to its mother. You're pretty lucky. Growlithe have become pretty rare, and a female is even rarer. And, most luckily for you, since you are now fifteen, Growlithe is one of the Pokemon you are legally allowed to own! I found her, and gave her to Blaze to carry. He keeps her warm you see. She's young, so her inner fire is small. You have to keep her warm for a few weeks. Then she'll even herself out."

He gave me a huge grin, but I didn't notice. I hadn't looked up from my Growlithe since he had handed it to me. I was scratching her behind the ears, and she seemed to love it. She made another small bark to show her appreciation, then yawned. I laughed. I was smitten. She closed her eyes, and I found that she was quickly asleep. I looked up at Arek. He had such a strange look on his face. Then I looked at Blaze, who had the same look in his eye. They both seemed to stare at us, knowingly and with a sense of longing. What they knew, I didn't know at the time. Arek reached up, and patted Blaze on the back. Blaze glanced at him, and smiled. They knew they were witnessing the birth of an unbreakable bond. "So" Arek asked, breaking my concentration "Whatcha gonna name her? She needs a name so you can start teaching her!" I looked up to him. "Nah, I can't help ya there bud. She's your partner, you gotta name her. Besides, I'm not the best namer, I mean do you know how many fire Pokemon I've met named Blaze?" Blaze shot Arek a menacing look, who grinned.

I searched my brain. I knew Growlithe was a fire Pokemon, that evolved into the powerful Pokemon, Arcanine. I knew Arcanine's command over fire was incredible. They could make it seem that a volcano had just erupted. My thoughts went to a lesson in history.

According to Cinnibar Island folk lore, long ago, when Mt. Cinnibar was still an active volcano, a fire goddess lived deep inside the mountain. She was a fierce warrior with control over the element of fire. She was beautiful and deadly. Her name was Pele.

"I'm going to call her Pele. She's going to be the most powerful Arcanine that's ever lived! I bet she'll even be able to take you Blaze." I heard a lough scoff, and looked at Blaze. He seemed to think this was funny. "Laugh it up now bird brain!" I fired back at him, " When you're stuck in her fire spin you won't be laughing!" Blaze's smile got bigger, and I actually heard him laugh. Well, I guess it was more of a squawk. Arek joined in.

" One step at a time lil bro. But for now, Happy Birthday! I figured you would like a Growlithe. They're extremely loyal, and when she grows up, she'll protect you with her life. She'll be a good partner in the wild. Plus, this way you start out with a fire Pokemon, just like I did. And Mom. And Dad. Now you're really a Gyard!" Arek patted me on the back. He was proud of me. That was the first time I really remember him being proud. I had always looked for his approval. I reached down and scratched Pele behind the ears. She and I would be a fierce team alright. Then, Arek stepped inside proclaiming his hunger. Blaze followed. I stayed outside. Sitting down with Pele in my lap, absentmindedly scratching her back. Her legs started to kick slowly. I would have to remember she liked being scratched there. I sat there, dreaming of the future. Epic battles with her by my side. Fame, fortune and everything in between danced in my head. I looked down at her. "Hey girl! My name is Octavion Gyard, but you can call me Tavion. I'm gonna be your friend from now on OK? I'll take care of you and in return eventually you can take care of me?" Pele looked up sleepily and gave a soft bark. I took that as her agreeing with me. I stared off into the sunset, with my new friend. With her around, I felt like I could do anything. It turned out, I wasn't too far off with that thought.

The months following my fifteenth birthday went by with extreme speed. I spent everyday after school with Pele. She quickly became my best friend. For the first two weeks, after a long day of her exploring the world as any infant would, I had to wrap her up in a special blanket. Infant Growlithe normally don't leave the warmth of their mothers fur until they are two weeks old, then they would spend only the night in their mothers fur, and finally they would be strong enough to live outside, their own fur becoming warm enough. The fur of an Arcanine is priceless. It insulates perfectly, and will keep anything warm. All fire Pokemon have some source of fire energy in their bodies. Most researchers believe it is an actual flame, because of Pokemon like Charmander or Infernape have flames on the outside. This flame must be kept above a certain temperature. In Growlithe's case, they have a small sac in their small intestine that burns at extremely high temperatures. I won't go into technical jargon, but basically if a fire Pokemon's inner temperature drops below 200 Degrees centigrade, the Pokemon will die. The blanket, which Arek also gave me, was a synthetic version of an Arcanine coat. It produced significant heat and when wrapped around Pele it kept her warm enough to grow normally. And boy, did she grow fast. I don't know how many trainers have experience with infant Pokemon, but let me tell you, its amazing. Every single day you can see an improvement from the day before. Each day brought Pele a thicker, warmer coat. It became durable, even strong. Her body grew. From being only about ten pounds when I first met her, she quickly grew to thirty in a manner of weeks! She also seemed to have never ending energy. She would half run, half prance around the room. She would chase everything from me to the odd Caterpie in the backyard. She also loved to fetch. We would play for hours. I could tell she would be faster as she matured. I'd heard that Arcanine can be almost as fast as a Rapidash. The thought was tantalizing!

Mom started to change my lessons. For a while, we stayed strictly on fire Pokemon. She taught me about inner fire, and how to quickly raise their inner temperature when necessary. She also taught me a key aspect of training fire Pokemon was patience. They were often stubborn. Not all Pokemon would take to me the way this puppy had. Pokemon are after all, fierce beasts. Patience would pay off. However small and seemingly weak a fire Pokemon or any Pokemon is born, when they are fully mature they are formidable indeed. She taught me that if we worked at it, Pele would eventually seem to fly through the air. Her speed and jumping ability would make her an aerial ace. We created workouts for Pele to go through daily, that would slowly improve her speed and strength. She taught me about Pele's physiology, and her diet. Fire Pokemon need lots of meat in their diet. She taught me that I could keep Pele's teeth strong and sharp by letting her chew bones of Normal type Pokemon. But the lessons that I learned that affected me the most, had to have been the ones when Pele and I were alone. I still remember the first time we got in a fight. Looking back, Pele probably shouldn't have survived. I was stupid, thinking she would be able to fight or even understand what was happening. We got real lucky.

Pele and I had ventured a little farther than normal. I had had the pup for almost four months. I walked slowly out of town, heading towards the line of trees outside city limits. It was mid day, I can still feel the heat of the sun beating down on us. We were both tired. We had stopped under a tree for a quick rest in the shade. I was sitting, cap over my face, resting. Pele lay at my feet. She raised her head, and sniffed the air. "What is it girl?" I asked. Growlithe's sense of smell was legendary. They were often used in Police work, hunting down criminals. Pele had a powerful nose from the day I met her. She had smelt _something_. I don't know if it was her inexperience, or mine, but something was coming. I heard the crack of a branch, and the soft sound of feet landing on grass. The fear struck me like a Thunderbolt from a Jolteon. First of all, I was outside the city limits. There would be no one around to help me. Second, my Pokemon was barely six months old. Indigo Plateau recommends infant Pokemon not participate in real battles until they are at least a year old.

She couldn't breath fire, and I wasn't sure if she had ever even hurt anything bigger than a Caterpie and that was on accident. Third, this was COMPLETELY illegal. I was underage. I could train Pele, but I had to be in the presence of a certified trainer. The days of ten year old kids leaving home to train Pokemon by themselves were long gone. Too many young kids left home with a starter Pokemon they just got, only to have the half eaten bodies of both found a week later. If you were going to be a trainer you had to attend school. Then as long as you graduated, you could take your trainers test. If you pass that, you become a full fledge trainer. I was still in school. Battling was forbidden outside of class. I was lucky to be allowed to have Pele as a pet. If I was found out here, "training", they would probably take her away.

I remember Pele standing up. Her ears were bent down, sticking backwards. She bared her still growing fangs, and starting growling. Here was my pet, looking intimidating, almost scary. That was the first time I saw her demeanor change. She gave me confidence. I heard more movement, and the soft patter of footsteps. I reached down to my belt, and pulled my knife out of its sheath on my side. Another thing Mom taught me. Never leave home without some sort of personal protection. She hated guns, so she had bought me a hunting knife for my thirteenth birthday. But I braced myself. I concentrated on the knife in my hand. Mom had taught me to throw it with pretty good accuracy. I had calmed down. Anything could appear. Hopefully it was small enough that if Pele couldn't handle it, my knife could. Pele let out a loud bark and I almost jumped out of my skin. I heard a shrill screech, almost an ape-ish sound.

Then I saw a bush shake and then part. A small creature stepped through. It was a short, fat ball of white fur. Two thin legs jut out from the bottom, with wide, human like feet holding them up. Its arms looked strangely human as well, and as it was a fighting Pokemon, it looked ready to fight. Its hands looked worn and rough. It menacingly cracked its knuckles. Two angry eyes were were set above the small, piggish nose peeking out of the fur of its face. I gulped. Mankey. Those little bastards were vicious. They may not look like much, but piss it off, and I knew that they would go, well ape. They would often become so angered they would fight to the death over basically anything.

I took a deep breath. Pele barked twice at the beast. The wild Mankey stared at me, then at her. It slapped the ground with a hand, and shrieked back at Pele. Well, at least we would get our first fight. "Steady girl.." I said. Pele was growling again. She slowly started to move to her right. The Mankey followed suit. The two Pokemon both circled around each other slowly. I was scared for Pele. She was after all still considered a pup. I thought about yelling some command out, like I had seen Arek do in his battles. There was no point. Pele had just learned her name a few months ago. I had almost gotten her to understand a few other words, but fighting seemed beyond me. The Mankey moved first, sprinting forward with a yell at the dog. Just as it got within reach of Pele, the ape jumped into the air.

"LOOK OUT!" I yelled. The Mankey extended its leg for a flying kick. Pele turned at sound of my voice, and took the Mankey's foot right in the side. I heard a slight crunch, and the miserable howling of my Growlithe. Her ribs were broken. The Mankey rebounded off landing gracefully. Instantly, she sprinted back at Pele jumped in the air again, coming down on top of Pele and furiously scratching her. Pele's howling became louder. She managed to clamp her jaws down on the Mankey's hand, but it only seemed to infuriate it. It continued to rake its claws all over Pele's body.

She lay on the ground, howling. As I saw her lying their on the ground , Mankey tearing pieces out of her flesh, something in my head snapped. I had never actually killed anything bigger than a Weedle or Diglett. But the thought that a beast had hurt my friend just pissed me off.

She was my friend, and here I was standing here, watching her get killed. At that moment, I promised myself I would never stand idly around while my Pokemon were being hurt. I took a quick, deep breath. I took a look at the Mankey. Mom had always told me that its nose was its weak point. I had a great shot, with the Mankey standing over the lying form of my bleeding Growlithe. I threw the knife forward at the Mankey's face with all the might I could muster.

The blade flew straight and true, and struck right between its eyes. I had missed its nose, but it did the trick. A plume of blood erupted around the blade and flew in all directions. Before I could blink, a stream splashed across my chest. The Mankey made a strange gurgling cry and collapsed. I ran up to Pele. She lay feebly on the ground with pieces of flesh off her back missing, and she was bleeding pretty badly. If I didn't get her back to the Pokemon Center quickly, she was done for. At that moment, I heard a shriek from behind me. I whirled around, and was staring in the face of a girl who had to be my age. "Holy Shit!" She exclaimed as she saw the carnage. Pele's bleeding form at my feet, the dead Mankey with a knife hilt sticking out of its forehead, and me covered in blood. I reached down, and pulled the knife out of the corpse.

"You have to help me! My Growlithe got attacked by this Mankey"

She looked at the Mankey's mangled corpse, and seemed to not be able to look away. "Wh-what" she spoke slowly, with a shake in her voice, "what d-d-did you do to m-m-y Mankey?"

"Your Mankey? You mean that insane little shit that almost killed Pele belonged to you?" I stood there with an incredulous look on my face. This girl, who had to have been my age, had almost cost me Pele's life. Then it hit me. "Wait a second…. How old are you? You can't be old enough to be a trainer." Was this girl breaking the law like I was? This question seemed to snap her out of her trance. She turned in an instant, from a nervous wreck to an extremely pissed off girl.

" WHERE DO YOU GET OFF KILLING OTHER PEOPLE'S POKEMON!" she exploded " And you ask me about my age? How old are you little boy?" My face fell and I felt myself becoming smaller. She noticed my change in demeanor and took full advantage. "Thats what I thought! You're not allowed to be out here training your Pokemon, even if you can own it." She was right there. I continued shrinking. If I was found out here, having been training a Pokemon, I could get kicked out of school. No school, meant not being able to leave home on my own. That meant me going insane. This girl was pissed, but she was obviously trying make me forget the fact that she wasn't supposed to be here either. So, I did what I thought was best, and apologized.

"Listen, I'm sorry I killed your Mankey, but it attacked out of no-where, and it would have killed Pele if I hadn't of stepped in. SHIT" I yelled suddenly.

It had hit me, Pele was still lying down in the dirt bleeding. I ran up to her, inspecting her wounds. Her back was pretty messed up. Deep, thick gashes were all over. Blood flowed freely out of her many wounds, and formed a small puddle around her. Globs of fur covered with blood surrounded her body on the ground. Then I saw her face. A long, thick gash bled from the top of her head, through her left eye and down to her chin. It looked bad. "Shit" I muttered again, under my breath. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, and the girl was standing over me, with a serious look on her face.

" Listen kid, I'm sorry Mankey hurt your Growlithe. But maybe I can help you.. Neither of us are supposed to be here, outside of the city right now. If we call for help, we're both screwed. So maybe then you can help me? Or you could just sit her crying while your Growlithe bleeds to death."

I took a deep breath, and considered what she said. She was right. I didn't need the shit storm that would come from Mom and Arek if they found out.

" Help each other, how?" I asked, looking down at my broken friend.

" Well for starters, I have some medicine here. I was planning on training my Mankey a little bit. So if I give her this, she'll be ok for a little while, but she'll need some medical attention." She dug in the brown satchel she carried at her side. This gave me an opportunity to size her up.

She was young, but probably a little older than me. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail on top of her head. Shit! I hadn't noticed she was blonde. Arek always told me that blondes could get you to do whatever they wanted. This was when I noticed how damned attractive she was. She was slender, but she had more curves than most girls my age I had seen. Despite this, she still looked like she could pack one hell of a punch. She was fit. She wore what I took to be training clothes, a sleeveless workout shirt and very, very short, pink shorts. When I saw her shorts, I couldn't look away from her legs. Damn! They went on forever! I had never seen a girl my age look this good. Looking back, I'm glad she was looking for something, because I don't know how she would have taken me staring at her legs. I knew this girl was something special the minute I set eyes on her.

"Got it!" she exclaimed, snapping me out of my trance. She pulled out a small blue spray bottle. A simple blood flow potion. I knew it would clot any external blood flow for about a half hour. This bought us some time, but after that half hour was up, the blood would start pumping again. Pele was losing a lot of blood, I couldn't risk that.

But she hadn't said how I would help her out. " So what do I do?"

She knelt next to Pele and started to spray the little bottle over the wounds on her back. Pele, who was long since unconscious kicked her legs a little. I took it as a good sign. The blood stopped flowing.

"You have to help me destroy the evidence of… your little skirmish. Its almost dusk, the city patrols will be around soon. If they find a Mankey dead with a knife hole in its face, and blood and fur from some Pokemon, there will be questions. And we really don't need a group of hungry Ursaring smelling food and wandering this close to the city. You get me?" She spoke with a strange confidence. It was weird, my first impression of this girl was way off. When I first saw her she looked like, well a complete wreck. Now here she was talking about destroying evidence, and getting away from the police. I wasn't really a rule breaker at that point, but I was logical. It made sense. Plus, I had never talked to a girl this good looking. I wasn't ready to let her go yet. I knew Arek wouldn't have broken the law, but he also would have tried to impress this girl. My hormones triumphed over the word of my brother at that point. It would happen again.

"OK. But how do we hide it?" I may have known a lot about Pokemon physiology, but that only got me so far. I had never dealt with a dead Pokemon before. I had also never tried to outsmart the police.

" Easy. First, we dig a hole." She took a small bar out of her bag, and pressed the ends of it. It expanded quickly into the form of a shovel. Technology was amazing. Ever since they figured out how to shrink a Pokeball and have it return to normal size on command, they used it for every thing a trainer would need. It saved space,and made traveling safer and easier. I wondered what else she had in that bag.

"Here, take this" she handed me the shovel. "Dig here, where all the blood is. Make sure the hole is deep enough to fit Mankey's body, and move the clumps of fur into the hole too." I started to dig. The ground was soft and the going was easy. After a bit of digging, I had a small hole. I grabbed the Mankey's corpse by its leg, and dragged it into the hole. I then added the dirt with Pele's blood on top of the Mankey. I felt weird, almost dirty. I had just killed this girl's Pokemon, and was burying it. I looked up at her, and she didn't seem the least bit sad. A strange tingle went down my spine, making me shiver slightly. This Pokemon had been an angry little bastard ten minutes ago, but now he had a knife hole in his face, and was in a hole in the ground. Things change pretty quickly I guess. I looked back at the girl, " Now what?" I asked her. I didn't know what a blood covered body in a hole would do.

She started to rummage through her bag again. She was muttering something to herself. I could only pick out every few words, "No…...too obvious…..acid?… maybe...no… smell…. Fire!" She yelled the last word, which made me jump a bit. Embarrassing.

"Fire?" I asked, "What are you talking about? We have to hurry, or Pele will die!" I was getting impatient. We had wasted fifteen of our precious thirty minutes. Pele didn't have much time left. I looked at her, searching for an answer. She was rummaging through her bag again. "AHA!" she exclaimed again. She pulled out a small zippo.

"Thats the big surprise? A fucking zippo? Tell me you're joking. HOW DOES THIS HELP US?" I exploded. I was pissed she was wasting time when Pele's life hung in the balance. All I could do as I yelled was look at my poor dog.

"Calm down." she spoke softly. "I know you're worried about her, but she'll be fine, trust me. I know exactly where to bring her. First things first though. Cover the hole with dirt, but try to make it seem even like the rest of the dirt around it. I'm going to get some firewood."

"How the fuck does that help us?" I spat sarcastically.

"Jeez, you got a mouth on you kid." she gave me a smile. " I like it." she winked. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything once I find some wood." She turned and disappeared into the woods. Swearing under my breath, I hastily covered the grave with dirt, and smoothed it over as best as I could. I heard footsteps, and turned back to see the girl with a few dried logs and some brush in her hands. "Good", she said " you finished." She put the wood down on top of my hole, and crossed the logs like she was starting a campfire.

"You're making a campfire?" I asked incredulously.

"Yep" she answered quickly. She took out the zippo, lit the brush, and placed it under the logs. The logs slowly started to catch fire. "Now," she said looking up to me, "We need to find some flowers." My jaw dropped. Flowers? This girl was insane.

"Flowers? How does that help us?" I had a puzzled look on my face. It must have been funny, because she took one look at my expression and burst out in laughter.

"You're not too bright are you? Did you not pay attention in school? If we can find some flowers that were planted by a Grass type Pokemon, and we burn them, it will release a smell into the air. This smell keeps other Pokemon away,and it'll hide the smell of dead flesh from them. Also, if we have remnants of a fire here, the police will just think someone wanted some food. You see what I'm saying?" She had a smug look on her face while explaining this to me, like she was teaching an insolent little kid. I mentally kicked myself. Of course. Grass Pokemon plant and fertilize wild plants to enhance their habitat. They like life, and being around it. During this process they leave behind a pheromone. This pheromone keeps herbivore Pokemon from eating the plant. When burned, it spreads all over the place, and almost acts as a repellant. It was the earliest version of the repels that you can buy in stores all over the world today. I was being stupid. All I could really think about was Pele and her safety. I blushed a little.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Pele. She's my best friend." I hung my head. This was not the way Arek had always told me to pick up girls. I looked like a pussy in front of her.

"No worries." she said, as she reached out to touch my shoulder. "I know how it feels to almost lose a friend. Luckily for you, I saw a small garden close by that will work perfectly. You stay right here,and I'll be back." She ran off into the woods again. This girl was strange. She came back a minute later, with a handful of Pewter's famous Sunflowers. I knew they had been cared for by a Pokemon because of their size and their distinct color. A normal Pewter Sunflower is only about the size of a human hand and brilliantly yellow. One of these was red, another purple and the third blue. They were also about the size of my head. She threw them on the fire and right away a sweet smelling white smoke came off of the fire. "Ok! Now grab your Growlithe, and follow me. I know a place in Viridian Forrest we can bring her. They won't ask questions there, they're not really in tune to the whole law thing. Sound good?" She looked at me with a smile. Damn! I probably would have done anything she said. I was glad I had been around Arek for so long. Thinking of him gave me a bit of confidence.

"Ok. But we have to hurry! The potion will wear off in about ten minutes, so she needs help fast!" I reached down to the dirt, and scooped up Pele into my arms. She hung there limply. I could hear her breathing, ever so softly. This was a good sign.

"Follow me and keep up!" she said, as she took off running into the woods. I sprinted after her.

I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life. We ran deeper and deeper into the forest. When we started, we were in a thin line of trees. The sun had started to set and we could still see sunlight in between the tree tops. But the deeper we ran, the less light there was. More and more trees sprang up, and it became harder to run straight. The girl seemed to know this forrest extremely well. She bobbed and weaved around each new tree that popped up in our way. It became darker and darker as the forest became thicker. I heard noises from the trees, obviously Pokemon. I could tell from the sounds that we passed a group of Beedrill in one tree, and family of chittering Hoothoot in another. I'm pretty sure we even passed a Pikachu or two, but I didn't care. Pele may die if I delayed for even a second. Just as I was about to ask how much further we had to go, we came close to a small clearing in the trees. The sun was almost completely set. Darkness had just about taken over. The girl stopped.

"We're here" she said, panting. I stopped running, I saw a small run down cottage. A thin line of smoke snaked out of a crumbling brick chimney on the roof. The roof itself looked like a mine field. A tattered porch sat in front of the house, the left half of which seemed to be sinking into the ground. This house made my skin crawl. Something about it seemed dark, almost supernatural.

"A healer lives here?" I whispered, the creepiness of my surroundings making me keep my voice down.

" Yep." she whispered back, for some reason matching my caution. "She's very old, and has healed thousands of Pokemon in her life. She's your Growlithe's best chance. Follow my lead." She grabbed my free hand and lead me up to the front door of this house. I felt like I was going to fall right through the deck as soon as I stepped on it. The harsh creak of the wood made my heart leap. We stepped up to the door. The door was the only part of the house that was in great shape. It was a large door, about ten feet of lacquered, dark oak, with a brass Tauros head as a knocker in the middle of the enormous threshold. She reached up and quickly knocked twice, paused and knocked twice again. The sound of her knocks seemed to echo all around us. I heard a shuffling noise inside the door. Someone, or something was coming. I heard a creak, then a bolt being unlatched. The giant door slowly started to swing back, opening. Light poured out of the door, and a silhouette appeared. It wasn't human, I determined instantly, despite that the creature was bipedal. The figure was short, probably only about four and a half feet tall. Pointed, almost cat-like ears lay atop its head. Its posture was gnarled, almost bent over, making it seem even shorter. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed the worn, yellow skin that this creature had. A thick mane of white hair was wrapped around its neck, but it wasn't very well kept. The hair was tattered, and tangled. This Pokemon was old. A glint of light shone off of a small talisman attached to a string hanging from the creature's left hand. A Hypno. The oldest Hypno I had ever seen even.

As the door completely opened, the Hypno locked eyes with me, only I could tell it was blind. Both eyes were crusted over with cataracts, and almost glowed white. Despite this, this creature could still "see", somehow. I held its "gaze" for a few seconds. I still shudder just thinking about it. I remember feeling weird. Like its sightless eyes were peering _into _me. He seemed to be able to see my very soul. He then looked away, to Pele in my arms. She was slowly starting to bleed again. The old Hypno looked from Pele to the girl in front of me, nodded to her, then turned back to head into the house. The girl stepped through the doorway, following. I stood, cautious for a moment.

The Hypno turned around, and came up to me. It gestured me inside, then grabbed my hand, leading me into the cabin. Its hand was rough and dry like sandpaper.

As I took a step into the house, the door started to swing closed. No one had moved it. This Hypno may have been old, but it still had its telekinetic powers. I didn't necessarily feel threatened, but Mom taught me to always know your situation, and have a plan of escape ready if necessary. The psychic lead me by the hand, down a dimly lit hallway. It was quiet. I decided I had to break the almost eerie silence, " My friend is hurt. She may die. Is there anyone here who can help us?" The little creature nodded its head slowly, and brought me into a large room, circular room.

Two chairs sat in this room, facing a large fire place. A healthy fire was burning inside, bathing the room in heat and flickering light. I was puzzled. What was this Hypno doing? Just as that thought came into my mind, I heard an old, raspy voice speak out suddenly, "You've returned sooner than we thought."

I jumped a little inside, but thankfully no one seemed to notice. I needed to work on my nerves. The girl stepped forward, speaking slowly "I hadn't planned on it, but we need your help Tessa. His Growlithe is hurt badly. She'll die if you can't help!" I heard the chair move, and saw a gnarled pair of feet step onto the floor. It was an old woman, the spitting image of the Hypno doorman. Thin, wild strands of hair ran from her head, down past her knees. Her skin was worn and wrinkled and she was very, very short. This must have been the oldest woman I had ever seen. She wore an equally withered white nightgown. The Hypno slowly walked to her, and they locked eyes for a moment. Then, she spoke again.

" You who has brought the Fire Goddess here, are you prepared for what is to come?" She said, while slowly limping to the fire, where she hung a large pot over the fire. She added wood, and the fire grew in size, and in heat.

I stared blankly. Fire Goddess? What is to come? I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. I felt a slight nudge, and looked over to the girl trying to get my attention. She leaned over, and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry about everything she says. She's very old, and has been living alone for a long time. But she's the best healer in Kanto, you can take my word on that." I guess that gave me a little comfort. I looked back over to Tessa, and she seemed to have forgotten she even said anything. She was rummaging through a very old bureau, while muttering to herself.

"The one eyed one has arrived. Things are in motion. Legendary battles are to come. Be prepared for betrayal! Be prepared for hardship! Your very essence will be tested!"

I tried to ignore her ramblings, but they stuck with me. Legendary battles? Betrayal? My thoughts were interrupted when she spoke again, this time more clear and with more force.

"You! Tessa shall heal your Growlithe. In return you agree to help Tessa." She walked up to me while talking, and extended her gnarled little hand. I hesitated a second, then saw the girl nodding fervently at me. I grasped her hand and shook. It felt strange, her hand was very cold.

"Good!" she yelled, "Now go wait in the kitchen, and make yourselves some food. We will discuss payment later. This should take time." She shooed the two of us out of the room, and pulled a curtain closed behind us. I could smell the sweet smoke of the fire in the other room. I hoped that was a good sign. I sighed heavily and felt a hand on my shoulder. The girl put her hand there, and didn't say anything. She looked at me for a moment, and then spoke "She'll be fine. I've seen Tessa patch up some pretty horrible wounds." She shuddered slightly as she spoke. She took a quick look at the kitchen. "You hungry?" she asked quietly.

"No." I responded quickly. I couldn't eat at a time like this. I couldn't even think of anything besides Pele. My first Pokemon and I had already almost gotten her killed. Some trainer I would turn out to be. I couldn't even legally have a Pokemon battle. I guess I proved the government right then. Its funny, looking back that would be the only time I ever really agreed with them.

"Me neither. Tessa takes some time. Her methods are a little...old school". She smiled a bit as she said that. I looked up and smiled, trying to take her words as reassurance. She looked at me again. Despite everything, I still marveled at how good she looked. She smiled as I thought, making me a little paranoid. Was she a psychic? "There you go," her words broke my train of thought. "Smiling always helps at times like these. Try not to think about her right now, she's in good hands. So…" she asked searching for something to say. Her eyes lit up for a second, "Hey! I realized we don't even know each other yet. What's your name?"

Stupid. What was I thinking? I had met this girl almost an hour ago, and had been pretty close to her for that time, and I didn't even know her name. Stupid. Arek would have done that right away. I realized I hadn't answered he question yet. I smiled at her, and extended my hand out, "I'm Tavion. Tavion Gyard" As I spoke, she laughed. I gave her a quizzical look. That was about the last response I expected.

"Gyard? As in Arek Gyard? What are you his little brother?" I really didn't want to hear that. My gaze fell, and I could feel my face fill with color. Again, over shadowed by Arek.

"Yeah… You've heard of him?" I asked slowly.

" Who hasn't?" she responded quickly, "I'm from Celadon. He beat Erica worse than anyone since Ash Ketchum did twenty years ago! He's slowly becoming a Kanto legend!" She seemed to know a lot about him. I winced slightly. Arek had a leg up on me with this girl too it seemed. "I guess you didn't get the trainer gene then did you?" Her words stung, but I wasn't about to let her see that.

" Woah! I have a puppy. You're the one letting your rabid Mankey out of her sights. It could have killed me!" I smirked. This was a good comeback, or at least I hoped it was.

She winced slightly as she looked at me, " Yeah… about that…" she spoke slowly. I blinked, wondering where she was going. " Uhmm, that wasn't really MY Mankey…." My jaw dropped. I had killed someone else's Mankey?

I had to ask, "Whose was it?" I looked her in the eyes. I noticed they were blue. Very blue.

She blushed a little. " I can't believe I'm telling you this, but I get this feeling I can trust you. I can, can't I?" She looked at me with her eyes slightly slanted, almost suggestively.

There was no way I would have said no, not even if I was offered a million dollar reward for her information. "Of course you can. You brought me here to save Pele. I owe you everything!" I cringed a bit. Dumbass. I came out sounding pretty desperate.

She smiled, almost knowingly. "Ok," she looked uncomfortable, "Well, I kind of… stole him." Wow. Pokemon theft? I had never really considered the idea. I knew of wild Pokemon, and I knew of trained Pokemon. It made sense that owned Pokemon could be stolen. A pokeball could easily have been stolen. Then it hit me.

"So thats why you weren't near it. You brought it out and it ran from you. You scared it and pissed it off!" It was her fault Pele was almost dead. I almost told her that, but then decided against it. I didn't wanna piss her off too.

`"Yep." She responded. "I pick-pocketed this guy on the street. Idiot kept a pokeball in his pocket. I tried to explain to the Mankey that I was its new master, but it wouldn't have any of it. It scratched me and ran off." She pointed to her right shoulder. A long, thin cut ran across the front of it. "Luckily, it didn't get too deep. I ran after it for a while, eventually finding you standing over its corpse. I freaked. I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have yelled." She looked at me, and then spoke again, " Oh! Where are my manners? Mother would kill me! She walked towards me and extended her hand to me this time, " My name's Kasey." I reached out and shook her hand. Her hand was really soft. She spoke again, "Sorry for the family crack. I don't think before I talk. Mom says it'll get me in trouble some day." I smiled. Sounded pretty familiar.

My thoughts strayed to Pele. There were plenty of smells coming in from the fireplace. Tessa was working her magic it seemed. I steered my mind back to simple conversation. "Sounds like my Mom. So… you're from Celadon? I've never been. What's it like?"

" Bigger than Pewter. Much bigger. Celadon's not in the best shape right now, so my Mom sent me here, to stay with my Aunt. I can't stand it, its so boring. So I stole a Pokemon to train out in the forrest. "

Wow. A stolen Pokemon? Mom had always tried to drill in my head that rules were there for my safety and meant to be followed. I never was too worried about the rules though. Surviving had been drilled in my head deeper.v But actually stealing someone's Pokemon? The thought intrigued me. How would it work? Obviously that Mankey wasn't very receptive to the idea, but would all Pokemon react the same way? While I was lost in thought, we sat there awkwardly.

"Sorry about that." I broke the silence, "I was just thinking about what you said. Have you stolen a Pokemon before?"

Kasey shrugged nonchalantly. "Its really no big deal. Most people think of their Pokemon as these untouchable prizes. In reality though, most don't even notice right away when a pokeball goes missing." She drummed slightly on the counter while talking. It made her seem at ease. She seemed cool. " Rangers or police trainers keep it exciting. There's nothing like the chase right?" She laughed as she spoke.

I smiled at her, and decided to put this topic to rest for now. Hopefully I'd see her again, and be able to pick her brain a bit more. I knew Arek wouldn't approve, but for some reason, the idea stuck in my head. I tried to think of something else to talk about. I couldn't. If only I had Arek's way with women.

We sat in the kitchen in silence for a bit. I sat on the floor, back to the wall by the curtain, waiting. I don't know how much time passed. Eventually I guess I fell asleep.

I remember having this strange, vidid dream. I was walking down a hallway. It was dark. Extremely dark. I felt the walls, looking for a door, or a light switch. Anything. There was nothing. Only cold, hard concrete.I remember being scared, but of what I had no idea. I kept walking, for what seemed like forever. The silence and the loneliness were starting to get to me. I shouted. I cursed. I cried for help. Nothing. I slumped down against the wall and sat for a few moments. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a shrill whistle. I slammed my hands over my ears. The sound split my head apart. As abruptly as the sound started, it became silence again. My head pounded. It was agony. Then, I heard a voice. It came from every direction. I whipped my head around, searching for the source of the voice. There was nothing. It came from everywhere but no where at the same time. I stopped looking for it, and tried to listen.

_**What about him? **_

I had somehow come in on a conversation. I heard another voice answer the first.

_**What about him? Isn't the brother the more obvious choice?**_

_**The brother's too far gone. He's too old. Him on the other hand…**_

_** She only wants the best. How do you think she'll react when you bring her this? Look what just happened.**_

_**I don't mean now, obviously. We have time. Lets watch him and test him.**_

_** Its your call. Let's see how he hand-.**_

My eyes suddenly snapped open. I was staring in the face of the Hypno, its eerie blind eyes looking right at me. My ears echoed with the sound of the voices. Then I remembered Pele, and forgot about the dream completely. The Hypno turned around, and beckoned me to follow. I stood up slowly and followed him through the curtain. Tessa stood over a large table, and I could see Pele's form behind her. I walked slowly up to the table, and looked down at Pele. She had stopped bleeding. I went to inspect her closely, and was interrupted by the sound of Tessa's voice.

"She will live. It took much of Tessa's prowess, but given time to heal, she should be stronger than before. Alas, Tessa could not save her eye."

I looked down at Pele's sleeping face. Her right eye was shut, and normal, but her left eye had a long, blood-red gash through it. I was upset for her, but happy she was alive.

"She will take a few days to adjust, but she will be fine." Tessa spoke again. "I have healed her. This one is a fighter. She will grow to be formidable indeed.

"I am forever in your debt! How can I ever repay you?" She had said something about payment. Who knows what she wanted.

"Simple. You will become Trainer yes?" her withered face looked me in the eyes.

"Yes ma'am. In three years I'll be able to take my test". Payment would come later it seemed.

"Good. You will visit Tessa when you are a Trainer. Then Tessa will seek your help. Tessa should like to see Pele again. But, if you forget, you will not be prepared for the consequences. Tessa has many friends. Friends with powers young Tavion has yet to dream of. Do not cross Tessa." Her eyes thinned as she spoke. Her words resounded in my head. This place creeped me out. Tessa did too. If she was this good of a healer, she must have healed some powerful Pokemon. I didn't want any strange beast after me or my family.

"I give my word, as a member of the Gyard family, I, Tavion Gyard, will return to Tessa as a Pokemon Trainer to aid her in whatever she need." I place one hand over my heart, hoping to prove my sincerity.

"Good!" Tessa exclaimed. "Now you must return home. You will be safe, the beasts around here know to stay away from creatures with the smell of Tessa's house on them. Return to your mother. Tessa doesn't have to tell you to avoid the patrols." She turned around, and went to sit back down in her chair. The Hypno shuffled slowly over, and sat in the chair next to Tessa. I heard the loud creak of the door opening. I bent down and gently picked up Pele. I turned towards the hall and walked through the door. I turned around to give my thanks once more to Tessa, but the door quickly slammed shut. The loud sound disturbed a Murkrow roosting on the roof of Tessa's house. It flew off cawing, annoyed. I sighed, and headed back into the forrest back towards Pewter. And Mom. I needed a story. She would be furious.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't know how, but I somehow survived my Mother's complete wrath when I returned home that night. I basically told her the real story, with a few lapses. And the occasional invention of my own. Luckily I was a resourceful kid. She bought it, or it seemed she did. That was all that really mattered. She "grounded" me for a few months. Grounding consisted of the same thing as a normal day, only with more intense workouts. My muscles burned for weeks. After those workouts, as more "punishment", she added in lessons about the laws of Kanto. That was the worst part. Who knew a world teeming with chaos had so much structure to it. Over those few months of being grounded, I learned more about Kanto than I had ever known. Histories of the various cities. Their cultures. Their rules. At least when I traveled I would be able to assimilate easily.

My only solace during my seeming imprisonment was my time with Pele. She slept for most of the first week, only waking for me to feed her. She slowly got stronger. After three weeks, Mom said we could start training again. Despite her injuries, she didn't lose a step. Her depth perception barely even suffered. Tessa did great work. Every day, she was able to train a little harder. Mom had set up an obstacle course of sorts. Pele would dodge, weave, run and jump all throughout the course. She completed it faster every day. Eventually, Mom said we would shoot her with small blasts of water, so she would get even better at training. I didn't like the idea of that yet. Eventually, I knew Pele would be able to conquer a Blastoise. But now, I just wanted her to be a happy puppy. She already had one close brush with death, I didn't want it to happen again. She enjoyed the course. Probably because of the treats she would get after each run. Positive Reinforcement. I figured it would work with all Pokemon. I wouldn't learn until later that is definitely not the case.

As she got older she started to understand what I said to her. It started small, like with her name, or fetch. Then she learned stay and come. I was so proud when she first did that. Pretty soon I'd be able to get her to attack things on command.

I was worried at first, that she would have become tentative around strange things since her wounds. She wasn't. She was still the curious puppy. Mom said this was a good sign, it meant she trusted me. If she trusted me, she would defend me with her life when she could.

One day Arek called home with news. Good news. He said he had impressed the right people, and that he was invited to take the Pokemon Ranger Assessment at Indigo Plateau. That was a honor.

Pokemon Ranger's are basically the military police of Kanto. Their ranks consist of natural born Kantish trainers with considerable might. Arek said this was an important step to him eventually challenging the Elite Four. One could not do so without a fair bit of renown. Another stepping stone on Arek's grand life path. It seemed he had a plan for everything.

Luckily, the Ranger Assessment was open to the public. Kantish people love a good Pokemon battle. And this wouldn't an ordinary battle. The Pokemon League pit some of their strongest captive Pokemon, often those too violent to be trained, against a trainer and his partners. The Assessment would be a fight to the death. And we all know that the Kantish love blood. Pokemon Rangers must be able to protect the public at all costs. They usually travel alone, so they must be able to fight powerful beasts on their own. They must kill if necessary. Who knows what he could face. I prayed that Mom would let me go with her to watch. After that call, I worked extra hard. I wouldn't miss a chance to see a fight of this magnitude. After a few days, Mom relented. She would allow Pele and I to accompany her to Indigo Plateau. I was ecstatic. The two months after the call dredged by. I don't think I've ever been more excited for anything. Those were some of the longest days of my life.

Finally. The day came. A chance to get out of the city. A chance to travel, even if it was close to home. Most importantly, a chance to watch _real _Pokemon battles. It was time for me to put my knowledge to the test. Mom didn't say anything about it, but I knew. I needed to see if I could think quick enough to maybe become a Ranger myself one day.

Mom and I hopped in the car, which was old. People stopped driving everywhere a few years ago. Normally it was too dangerous to drive without an escort. The wild beasts became too strong, and would often attack a lone car. Indigo Plateau was only a two hour drive from home. The drive was boring, just a lonely two lane road weaving in and out of groups of trees and endless plains which stretched from the foot of the mountains, all the way to the northeastern edge of Viridian forest. Pele was excited to be in a car. She was only about eight months old, so she had never traveled this way. She put her paws up on the window, and scanned the plains with her good eye. But after half an hour, she curled up and fell asleep in my lap as I absentmindedly scratched her ears. I had expected a plethora of Pokemon to be near the road that day. Mom said that before the Assessment, or any special event held at the Plateau, Pokemon Rangers were assigned to patrol and protect the Road. It seemed like the wild Pokemon had already decided to avoid the Rangers. Smart move, I thought.

Mom said that the road was a couple of miles from the foot of the mountains, where many extremely dangerous Pokemon thrived. She told me a story about an abnormally large Nidoking and its Nidoqueen mate who wandered down from the mountains and attacked Pewter when she was a little girl.

I knew that Nidoking were normally between four and five feet tall, a devastating attacker with almost seamless defense. These two, she said, were each at least ten feet tall. How they got that big, no one ever knew. They had wandered down from high atop Mt. Moon, and had somehow made their way into Pewter City one night. Mom awoke to the ground violently shaking. When she looked out her window, these giant monsters were stamping their enormous feet and slamming their menacing tails all about the ground around them. As they stamped, the very earth seemed to shake. Suddenly, the ground around them split apart, and quickly spread, almost like an explosion. Buildings crumbled and fell, in a shower of debris and dust. Broken glass flew in all directions, wounding citizens of the city When she said that, I whistled softly. Fissure. Most wild Nidoking weren't powerful enough to unleash an attack of that magnitude. And its mate knew the attack as well? It was a fearsome thought. Luckily for the people of the city, Bruno, a famous trainer from Pewter, had returned to the city to see his mother. Before I could ask, Mom confirmed my thoughts. Yes, Bruno, a longstanding member of the Elite Four, the greatest Fighting Pokemon trainer who ever lived, a hero to the people of Pewter. That was pretty cool, I thought. Mom said if it wasn't for his Electabuzz and Hitmonchan, a lot more than thirty people would have died. I bet that was a fearsome battle. Mom said it raged for hours. Eventually, the Nidoking was killed by a robust Fire Punch from Hitmonchan. When connected, this attack causes a small inferno to be unleashed on the victim. I had never seen the move in person, so I pictured a fireball on the glove of Hitmonchan, flames exploding over the newly dead Nidoking. The Nidoqueen became enraged, and fought harder, having lost her mate. Mom told me to remember that. Regardless of species, Pokemon are a lot like humans. If they lose someone they care about, their strength and will to fight can increase tenfold. An angry beast whose mate has just died is a force to be reckoned with. Nidoqueen was eventually beaten when Electabuzz got ahold of her tail and broke it. Then, Hitmonchan hit her with a rapid one-two Mach Punch combo to the chin. Another lesson, Nidoqueen and Nidoking's tails can serve as a weak point. If the tail bone is broken they will lose their sense of balance, in turn making their defense weaker. Plus, they become enraged and lose all self control. Although their attacks can sometimes became more devastating, they become more reckless, and more prone to mistakes. It weakens their reason. The thought of this battle intrigued me. I had been itching to see another real battle in person. I had seen a couple of Arek's gym battles, including his legendary fight with Brock, the Pewter Leader. Stories of that battle are still told today.

Seeing Arek fight a battle against powerful, wild beasts would be epic, I thought. No one but the Elite Four and the current Champion know what Pokemon Arek will face. I had never seen a Ranger Assessment in person, only televised. The rules are constantly changing. Pokemon Rangers need to be able to adapt and beat any situation. Arek had a tough test ahead of him, but I knew he could handle it. I wanted to see Blaze fight fearsome foes, and come out on top.

Mom's voice brought me out of my day dream. " Look Tav, you can see the Plateau from here. You can even make out the outline of the stadium!"

I tore my eyes from the dull grass plain out the side of the window, to the area in front of our car. About a mile ahead, the road started up an incline. The terrain changed vastly, from the flatness of the grass plain, to a hilly, rocky climb up the foot of the Indigo Plateau. I could see the thin road snaking back and forth up to the top. The top of the mountain was vastly different from any mountain I had ever seen. It seemed as if the top half had been cleaved off by the blade of a giant Scyther. It was completely flat, as flat as the plains we had been driving through for the last two hours. A small city was built on top of the mountain, surrounded by a fifteen foot concrete wall. Four massive guard towers made up the corners of the wall. It was designed to keep wild Pokemon out, but it seemed to me that a strong Pokemon could bypass it with ease. Mom said it was more for the peace of mind of Indigo's citizens. But, the most obvious landmark of the city was the massive shadow that was Indigo Stadium. Dozens of stories tall, its bleachers towered above the rest of the buildings in the city. I had seen pictures before,and knew that the actual battlefield was built into the rock of the mountain where I couldn't see it. The sight of the stands made me even more excited.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, " Indigo Mountain is huge! How tall is it?" I asked quickly.

" A little over a mile high, five thousand four hundred feet above sea level" She responded.

"Wow!" I repeated, "How many people live there? Where's the entrance from Victory Road? Is there enough room for everyone to sleep? Where do they keep the Pokemon? Will I get to see the Elite Four?" I spit out questions at a mile a minute. I spoke so fast, and with so much vigor and excitement, that Pele woke with a start, and gave me an angry bark. "Sorry girl" I apologized as I scratched her chin. She seemed to accept my apology. Then her mouth opened as she released a long yawn. Her breath stank of what smelled like sulphur. "Gross girl! Am I going to have to brush your teeth, AGAIN?" She gave a small yip. I guessed it meant yes. Pele's breath had been getting worse and worse. Mom said it was because her inner fire was increasing, and soon she would be able to breathe fire. Ember at first, but progress was progress. Mom always said you can't build a building without a foundation.

Mom was laughing. She shook her head as she said "And I thought you hated learning from me. Don't worry" she said as she finally stopped laughing, "Your questions will be answered soon enough. Just think, maybe one day you and Pele will be invited to compete!" She reached over and put her hand on my head, rubbing slightly as mothers do.

I was a little embarrassed "Jeez Mom, watch the road! The last thing we need is for us to hit a stray Geodude and wreck the car" She took her hand from my head and gave Pele a quick pat on the head, who wagged her tail excitedly. She gave a small laugh and turned her focus back on the road. We continued climbing, higher and higher.

When we were close to the top, we approached the gate of the massive wall. A large iron portcullis separated us from the inside of the city. As we got closer, I saw a man step out of the small gatehouse to the left of the large gate. A Raichu followed closely. I looked up to the east guard tower, where a Pidgeot and a Fearow were perched on top. I plastered a silly grin on my face. We were here!

Mom slowed the car to a stop, and rolled down the driver side window. The man stepped up to our car. I got a good look at him. A tall, muscular black man, who wore fatigues. There was a strap over his left shoulder, and I could see he had a MP5 attached to it. Not the strongest machine gun, but in close range it could take down people and Pokemon alike. His eyes were covered with shiny aviator sunglasses. As Mom rolled the window down, he smiled and spoke.

"Welcome to Indigo Plateau! Please state your reason of visit and place of departure." He spoke officially, and with a sense of purpose. He seemed proud of his position. His Raichu stood next to him, chittering for a moment, then it jumped quickly, landing gently on the man's right shoulder. It's tail pointed straight up, bristling with electricity. It was on alert, but it seemed calm.

"Thank you sir!" Mom said. "We're the Gyard family from Pewter City. We're here to watch my son Arek take the Ranger Assessment today. Tavion here is excited to be at the Plateau for the first time. He can't wait to be a trainer and be invited here himself one day." I grimaced. Mom was always making small talk with the most random people. Her friendly nature embarrassed me sometimes.

"Ah, so you're the mother of the famous Arek Gyard!" He offered his hand to my mother, who reached up and shook it. "It's an honor to meet you ma'am! Stories of your sons deeds are all over Kanto! Is it really true that he beat Brock's Golem with a Combusken last year?" The guard seemed excited. It made me proud that my family was known. Before Mom could answer, I spoke up.

"It is! Blaze is the best! I was there! But he's a Blaziken now and he's even more powerful! The beasts he's facing today don't stand a chance!" The man looked towards me and smiled.

"Thats incredible. He's been the talk of Ranger Control here in the Plateau for the last few months. The Champion himself gave the O.K for him to be tested. It's going to be amazing!" The Raichu on his shoulder gave another chitter, in what I took to be agreement. The man patted him on the head. "Ronald here agrees. He still remembers our test. Those were the good 'ole days, eh buddy?" He looked over to the Raichu, who nodded excitedly. "Anyways, one more question before you guys can head in. I see you have a Growlithe with you, how old is she? And are there any other Pokemon on either of your persons?" As he spoke he pulled his Pokedex out of his breast pocket. He opened it and typed a few words, looking back up as he finished.

Mom answered, "We have Pele here, who is eight months old. She's Tavion's, a gift from Arek. I only brought one, my Chimchar. He's getting up there in age though, I've had him for going on thirty years now. I can show you him if you like?" As she spoke, she reached to her belt and pulled out Chimchar's Pokeball. The man typed a few things, and shook his head with a smile.

"Won't be necessary, I believe you ma'am. OK, the two of you have been granted visitors access, level one clearance. You are permitted to visit the shops, restaurants, hotels and of course the stadium. You will be able to go into most government buildings, but only the first floors. You are both in the system now. He hit a button on his Pokedex and spoke "Open it up." A second later, a sound of static came out of the Pokedex, followed by a voice responding.

"Roger" it spoke.

"Welcome to Indigo Plateau and enjoy your stay! Tell your son good luck for me, I'll definitely be watching." He gave us a wave, and stepped back, heading back towards the gate house. The Raichu turned around on his shoulder and stared back in our direction. It seemed like he was looking at me. Pele peered back with her eye. I saw the Raichu give the slightest of nods. It was a bit weird. Before I could think on it more, I heard a very loud metallic click. I looked up, and the portcullis was slowly rising, allowing us passage into the city. Mom rolled the window up, and drove slowly into the city.

"I guess Arek is pretty famous huh Tav?" she asked. " I'm so proud of him."

I smiled in agreement. I was proud to have him as a brother.

The Plateau was buzzing with activity. I rolled my window down quickly to listen to the sounds of the city. Pele perched her front paws on the side of the window, wagging her tail excitedly. She had never seen so many people. Hundreds of people were walking, and talking all over the place. Indigo Plateau was regarded as one of the safest places in Kanto. So it was one of the bigger cities. Vendors stood outside shops and little stands, calling out to passers by. I saw a wooden cart, pulled by a small Ponyta, rolling slowly down the street. The man next to the Ponyta was calling out. "One-stop shop here! Everything a trainer needs". As the horse pulled the cart, it startled a two Spearow on the ground, who flew off into the air, cawing angrily. It amazed me that there would still be wild Pokemon here in the city. They were mad and not attacking. They must have learned long ago to not mess with the people of the city. I asked Mom about it, and she pointed out the small multicolored orb that was hovering over the door of a clothing store. They were about six inches in diameter, with a deep metallic red color shimmering in the light of the sun. Their bottom half shone ivory white. A distinct set of eyes could be seen for a moment, then disappeared as the creature rotated. Voltorb. Mom said they were bred basically as security cameras. Two were assigned to every city block, one on each side of the street. Any sign of trouble, and Mom said they would release a small shock of electricity at an antenna perched on a nearby building. These antenna were stationed on top of buildings all over the city. When a certain threshold of electricity is passed into these antenna, they release a radio signal that contacts the Kanto Pokemon League Headquarters in the central part of the city. Two Rangers are then teleported to the area from the nearby barracks by an Abra. Any wild Pokemon attacks, fights, or any disturbance on the road below, and Rangers would be there within two minutes. This place was kept under strict control, but it was extremely safe. Mom said people lived here for that reason. Pokemon sometimes attack cities for no reason she said. Not here, and if they did, they wouldn't get over the wall.

We reached the stadium and finally got out of the car. I told Pele to stay close. I think she got the message. She followed close by, seeming a little bit wary. She wasn't scared, but she was on the lookout. Mom smiled and said Pele was growing up fast. As we approached the stadium it seemed to keep getting bigger. I craned my neck straight back, and still couldn't see the top. The walls went higher and higher. Mom said at full capacity it could fit 150,000 people! But that many only usually turned up for the final eight of the Pokemon League Tournament held here every two years. That was the big day for all of Kanto, when Indigo's population would almost quadruple with visitors. It wasn't every day the best trainers in the entire country would come to fight for a chance to challenge the Elite Four at the end of the weekend and become Champion. But that wouldn't be held for another year. As we approached the gates, another guard, dressed similarly to the man at the gate approached us. He asked if we were the Gyard family, and said he would show us to our seats. Arek would not be able to make it to see us before the match. He lead us through the gate, into a tunnel towards our seats. I could see posters and murals all over the walls, each depicting great Pokemon who had fought and become Champions here. Lance's Dragonite. Bruno's Hitmonchan. Ash Ketchum's Pikachu. Hundred's of others were all over. There had to have been one of every Pokemon! Their pictures stood tall and mighty. They looked regal, and powerful. Deep down in my gut, I knew Pele would one day be among them.

We had finally been led to our seats. First row! Though we were still about thirty feet above the smooth rock that was the battlefield. It was a big empty rock surface roughly the size of a soccer pitch. Various doors were built into the floor of the field. I guessed it was where some of the Pokemon came out. The main ones would come through another great portcullis in the wall of the arena. I looked around us. The stadium was pretty empty, considering its size. But there were thousands of people in attendance. The lower levels were all packed to the brim. A buzz ran through the crowd. It seemed they knew what was coming. A lot of people had come to see Arek's test. Pele had placed her front paws on the railing in front of us, so she could see better. We heard a commotion in the crowd, followed by a mighty cheer. The door in the center of the battle field had opened, and a loud whirring sound could be heard. An elevator was rising through the door. A middle aged man came into view. He was sharply dressed, in an black tuxedo, with thin, grey pinstripes. He wore a pair of mirrored aviators that gave him a mysterious look. A smart, jet black fedora sat on his finely groomed head. He carried a small microphone in one hand, and a small, clear glass filled with brown liquid in the other. Mom nudged me and spoke.

"That's Christopher Ross, the Indigo League Announcer". I knew this name, and this man. Everyone in Kanto did. He was the official spokesman of the Indigo Pokemon League, and its official announcer. He commentated all of the official televised league battles. The crowd erupted when they saw him. He was a celebrity in Kanto. They called him "The Voice of the People". A huge cheer, followed by a chant of "C.R. C.R. C.R".

Ross basked in the cheers. He waved to the crowd and gave a pose as thousands of flashbulbs went off in the crowd. He held his hand up, asking for silence. After a few moments, the crowd obliged. He brought the microphone to his mouth and spoke, his silky voice echoing throughout the stadium.

"Laaaaaaaaaaaddieesssss and Geeeentttllleeemaaannnn," he extended his syllables for theatrical effect, as he was his style. The crowd went nuts. He had them eating out of his hands. He tried to "speak" but they wouldn't allow it. With a huge smile plastered on his face, it became a joke. "Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" each word followed by a louder cheer. Finally, he held his drink up, asking for silence again. The crowd finally obliged.

"Good afternoon everyone! We're here today for another, Official…Indigo… Pokemon… League… Eveeeeeentttt!" He paused a moment in between each word, to more cheers. Then spoke again, "Today is a Ranger Assessment Test for a rising star at the ripe age of twenty years young. He hails from Pewter City, and rumors of his exploits are spreading around Kanto. Among his feats: a perfect match versus the trainers of Celadon Gym and its recently retired gym leader, Erica. Winning the Fuschia cup as a unseeded trainer, annnnnnnnndddd a legendary comeback against his hometown gym leader Brock. I give youuuuuuuu, Agustus "Arrrrrreeek" Gyyyyyaaaarrrd!"

Another door opened in the floor across from CR. Its elevator rose more quickly. Out popped Arek, with a determined, almost grim look on his face. He was dressed in a black-jump suit with dark combat boots to match. A leather strap was adorned diagonally across his chest, with indentations that held his red and white Pokeballs. His hair was cut short to the head, which was definitely a change. I tired to wave for a moment, but realized he was in the zone. The crowd gave him a pretty decent round of applause. A group of girls across the stadium from us swooned loudly. CR broke the applause, and the crowd grew silent. His words bounced off the walls and echoed in my ears.

"Today, this young trainer faces a presently unknown opponent. Who, what, how many and simply how they will come out has been kept completely secret from him. He must prove that his talents as a trainer are useful enough to be able to protect multiple people from attack and harms way. The Assessment will begin, once I am safe in the announcers box, and once you release your first Pokemon. This is a fight-to-the-death challenge. No help will be given to Arek, unless all of his Pokemon are killed. Are you ready for your final test?" Arek answered with a short nod.

CR took a Pokeball off of his belt, and dropped it in front of him. The crowd erupted to the sight as his large Fearow coalesced out of bright white light. CR hopped on its back, as it took off into the air with a short hop. He soared above and took his seat in the television booth, commentating to the world.

Arek reached to his strap, chose a ball, and dropped it in front of him. Bright light erupted out of the ball, a familiar shape forming. He had chosen Grace. The Pidgeotto took flight and took her perch on Arek's shoulder. He reached up a hand to ruffle her feathers. The crowd gave a small round of applause, but silenced quickly. No one spoke. No one moved. One of the smaller doors near Arek opened, and an elevator could be heard. It inched slowly towards the surface, with loud groans of metal on metal. This elevator was much slower than before. It created a tense moment. It created a deep sense of anticipation. Everyone in the stadium shared it. No one knew. We were all connected at that moment, together in the face of the unknown. It was the first time I ever felt that feeling. I knew I needed to feel it again.

A mangy looking mutt stood on the elevator, as it locked into place. A little bit bigger than Pele, its black and gray fur stuck out in all directions. It was thinner than a normal dog. Dark, triangular streak patterns adorned the fur of its face. Crazy red eyes stood out above the short snout of this beast. It took a look at the bird, and bared its teeth, growling loudly. Dribbles of white foam poured out of its mouth. Sharp deadly looking claws shone on its paws. Mom nudged me, breaking my concentration on it. Pele growled in my lap.

"Mom," I answered with irritation, "Of course I know. Its a Mightyena. But judging from its knotted fur I'd say it recently changed. Its also rabid, judging from the spit. Now will you let me focus?" I snapped at her, but she smiled. She said nothing more and turned back to face the arena.

Arek nodded to Grace, and she took to the air. The Mightyena took off towards Arek, howling. Arek jumped to the side, avoiding the snarling jaws of the beast. He gave a command, and Grace dove down towards the hyena. She pulled her wings into her body to increase the velocity, and just as the brown bird came within striking distance, she extended her wings, pulling out of the dive. She rebounded slightly above the Mightyena, and gave a powerful flap. The ensuing gust, combined with the speed of the dive, pulsed forward in a ball of air that the Mightyena took in the side of the snout. The gust impacted with blunt force and knocked the snarling beast off of its feet. The Pidgeotto took the opportunity, and flew forward quickly, attacking again.

The Mightyena turned towards the attacking bird, leaning back on its haunches. It took a quick swipe with its right paw. The sharp claws raked across the front of the bird, but not before Grace extended her claws, grasping quickly on to the back of the other creature. The sharp talons dug into flesh, drawing blood. The bird flexed its powerful wings, taking to the air again. The Mightyena took furious swipes at the birds front side, drawing blood and loosening feathers around the arena. As she flew upwards, a chunk of hairy flesh was torn out of the upper back of the Mightyena. Blood gushed out of the wound, as the beast howled angrily. The crowd cheered their approval at the first sight of blood on the ground. The Pidgeotto dropped the flesh, and circled around for another dive. The bird's wound didn't seem to be too deep, as she wasn't bleeding heavily and was flying normally. I heard Arek yell, "Another divebomb Grace!"

The Pidgeotto gave a loud shriek, and pulled its wings in again, ready for another dive. The bleeding Mightyena stood shakily, and turned with a sharp howl, ready for another attack. Grace dove quickly, with her sharp beak leading the charge this time. She dove straight towards her opponent. The Mightyena, on its haunches again, caught the hurtling bird in between its front legs. The impact of the dive bomb sent both Pokemon rolling on the stone. The Mightyena raked all over Pidgeotto with its sharp claws, drawing deep gashes on the bird. Arek gave another yell, and I made out his words. "Go for the throat!"

Grace obliged, and extended her wings once, then again, breaking the Mightyena's grip on her. She opened her maw and drove it quickly into the neck of the beast. She tore mercilessly. Blood and fur flew in all directions. The mutt gave a small gurgle, and collapsed with blood pouring out of both sides of its neck. The crowd exploded with the blood of the first kill. Thunderous applause rocked the arena, with my own raucous cheers included. Arek had made quick work of his first foe. He called Grace back to her shoulder, who landed gingerly back on her perch. He pulled a potion bottle out, spraying it over her wounds. The bleeding stopped, but she still had bloody patches of feathers all over her back. Stray feathers lay around the bloody corpse of the hyena. Arek looked up to Grace, and I could see him speak again. The applause was too loud for me to hear, but I saw Grace give a nod. She was ready for the next attack. The applause was interrupted by a loud creak, as the iron portcullis built into the side of the wall began to rise. A bigger Pokemon would come this time.

There was a loud crank, the sound of the gate locking open. Nothing happened for a moment. Then, acrid black smoke billowed out of the gate. It was dark. Thick. I could barely see anything. It reached up to the stands, causing myself and everyone around me to start coughing violently. I heard Arek yell.

"Clear up the place, Grace! Let's see what we've got!" I heard the bird shriek in acknowledgment. Suddenly, an intense gust of wind came through the stadium. The smoke started to dissipate. As it cleared slowly, I saw the outline of Grace hovering in the air, flapping her wings violently. Whirlwind. Grace was clearing the smoke out. After a few seconds, the smoke was gone. As the opposing Pokemon came into view, the crowd gasped. Slowly strolling out of the gate was a giant turtle. And when I say giant, I mean it. This thing was huge. Easily triple the size of the Mightyena before it, the beast was hardly an ordinary turtle.. A massive black shell adorned its back, giving it armor like a tank. A few holes, the size of enlarged Pokeballs were built into his back. They glowed bright red, and released slightly less acrid smoke. A long red neck poked out of the front of the shell, ending in a small reptilian head. It had eyes, but they seemed to be closed. It looked almost uninterested. More smoke poured out of its nostrils. Torkoal. But they weren't supposed to be this big. They were normally the size of a Raticate, not a Tauros. It took steps towards Arek, and shook the ground as it walked. It was slow, but it had to be powerful.

Arek gave a command, Grace shrieked, and dove towards the large turtle. The turtle gave a loud grunt, and heavier smoke poured out of its back. Grace hurtled towards the fire beast. While she was diving towards it, the Torkoal slammed its feet on the ground with a violent shake. It drew back slightly. The smell of sulphur and burning coal filled the arena. Grace was right in its in crosshairs.

"No No No" I whispered quietly. This wasn't good, Grace was too close. She would take the full force of the attack.

"NO!" I heard Arek yell. He realized the same thing I did.

With a mighty roar, the Torkoal released a plume of red hot magma from its mouth. Before Grace could dodge or get out of the way, she took the massive glob of molten rock straight on. The lava caused her to burst into flame. I heard Grace shriek and watched her limp form drop out of the air. The smell of burning feathers crept into my nostrils. The crowd gave a horrified gasp, and grew silent. The Torkoal slowly shifted its weight to its back legs. It stood up like a man for a moment. Next to me, I felt Mom turn away. I looked up and she had tears in her eyes. Although only a few seconds, it felt like an hour passed as the Torkoal pulled its body up in the air.

Arek screamed again, "GRACE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" but it was too late. If Grace was still awake or even alive, we couldn't tell. After his last word, the Torkoal pushed off of the ground with its standing legs. It lifted a few inches off of the ground as it's body plummeted towards the burning bird. There was a sickening crunch. The turtle had body slammed its entire weight on the bird. A thin line of blood snaked out from underneath the shell of the Torkoal. Grace was gone.

I put a hand on Mom's shoulder. She continued to cry. I looked down at Arek. His head was down. He looked crestfallen. Suddenly, his head snapped up to face the beast. I saw his hand clench into a fist and shake slightly. The sad man I saw a moment ago was gone. A look of pure fury lay on his face. He reached for another ball and released it in front of him. As the light faded, I saw Blaze standing in front of him. The crowd responded with a slight cheer. The large birdman saw the carnage in front of him. The Torkoal had taken its body from over the dead bird, and had begun to eat it. The crowd gave a disgusted sound. Arek spoke.

"Kill this motherfucker Blaze!" Blaze gave a nod, and released an angry squawk. He sprinted towards the large turtle. The turtle gave no notice, and continued to eat. As Blaze sprinted towards the beast, his body temperature began to rise. When he was halfway to it, a bright orange flame seemed to burn out of his entire body, leaving a fiery trail behind him. Before Blaze reached the Torkoal, he stopped. The flame did not stop with him. It burned hotter. The large bird concentrated for a moment, and the fire burning on his body was transferred to his right claw. He balled the claw into a fist, and drew back. As he did so, the fire burned hotter and hotter on the hand. I didn't know if it was a combination of the two fire Pokemon or if Blaze was just that powerful, but the temperature of the air seemed to be increasing rapidly. Beads of sweat formed on my brow. He then threw a punch faster than I could see. The Torkoal had finally looked up, but it was a moment too late. Blaze's flaming fist was an inch away from the turtle's face. The blow connected with a crunch, and a fireball went off with it, sending fire, dust, and a shock-wave in all directions. The Torkoal's neck snapped back with the force of the fire punch, taking the beast off of its feet, and slamming it into the nearby wall. The crowd erupted in applause, screaming loudly for the impressive move. The Torkoal was dazed. It struggled to its feet, but its motor skills were suffering. It could barely stand up. As it tried to stand, it fell again. Blaze didn't waste time. He jumped high into the air. Whilst in midair, he tucked his arms into his belly, performing a front flip, while throwing both of his legs behind him. The momentum of the movement in the air brought Blaze back upright. He bent his knees slightly in midair, and plummeted back towards the beast struggling to stand. The crowd gasped in awe. Blaze had jumped very high. As gravity brought him back down to the ground, Blaze extending his legs, slamming his feet down onto the back of the Torkoal, pinning it to the ground. The turtle released a howl that was cut short as air was pushed out of its lungs. Blaze's weight kept the beast from being able to breathe. As Blaze stood on the turtle's back, he began to punch the Torkoal rapidly. Once. Twice. Again. And again. He quickened his pace, punching so fast I could barely see the hits land. Small balls of fire exploded with every hit. The Torkoal struggled madly, trying to shake the giant bird man off of its back. It shot fire towards Blaze, but he didn't budge. It poured more smoke out of its back, but it didn't matter. Finally, he stopped his punching onslaught. Blaze reached down with both hands. Choosing two of the Torkoal's exhaust holes on opposite sides of the beast, Blaze placed his claws inside. He stepped off of the turtle, and picked its body up and pressed it above his head. The crowd grew silent for a moment, amazed at the ease in which the Blaziken hefted this mighty Torkoal. Blaze gave a thunderous scream, and using his immense strength, began to pull violently. The Torkoal gave a tormented wail. The sound became more intense as the pulling intensified. At last, the turtle's body could hold on no more, as Blaze ripped the large armored turtle in half. The crowd exploded with cheers and clapping. Blaze took the top half of the turtle, still gushing blood, intestines and black smoke, and threw it up into the air. As it reached its peak in the air, Blaze shot a fireball at it. The fiery attack impacted against the shell and slammed it into the wall of the arena. The crowd kept cheering. Someone started a rhythmic clap, while chanting, "Blaziken…. Blaziken… Blaziken….."

I was lost in the excitement. Blaze had just put on one hell of a show. The Torkoal was obviously mighty, it had killed Grace. Grace. She was dead. I couldn't believe it. I remembered feeling her powerful feathers in my hand, and being awestruck by her fearsome beak. That would never happen again. But Blaze had made sure to make her killer pay. I don't know what I would do if someone or something killed Pele. I'd probably be a complete wreck. Arek was handling it pretty well it seemed. He had the task at hand to focus on. At that moment, I told myself that when the time came, I would take care of business before I had to grieve. Arek was strong enough to do it, so I had to be as well.


End file.
